TIROS-2
Former American weather satellite
title: "TIROS-2" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["weather-satellites-of-the-united-states", "spacecraft-launched-in-1960", "spacecraft-which-reentered-in-2014", "television-infrared-observation-satellites"] description: "Former American weather satellite" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIROS-2" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Former American weather satellite ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox spaceflight"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | TIROS-2 |
| image | TIROS II Spac0116-repair.jpg |
| image_caption | TIROS-2 before launch |
| mission_type | Weather satellite |
| operator | NASA |
| Harvard_designation | 1960 Pi 1 |
| SATCAT | 63 |
| mission_duration | 376 days |
| spacecraft_type | TIROS |
| manufacturer | RCA Astro |
| GSFC | |
| launch_mass | 127 kg |
| launch_date | UTC |
| launch_rocket | Thor DM-19 Delta |
| launch_site | Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
| last_contact | |
| decay_date | May 2014 |
| orbit_epoch | December 8, 2013, 11:58:18 UTC |
| orbit_reference | Geocentric |
| orbit_regime | Low Earth |
| orbit_periapsis | 374 km |
| orbit_apoapsis | 394 km |
| orbit_inclination | 48.51 degrees |
| orbit_semimajor | 6755.43 km |
| orbit_eccentricity | 0.0014596 |
| orbit_period | 92.09 minutes |
| apsis | gee |
| instruments | Widefield Radiometer |
| Scanning Radiometer | |
| Television Camera System | |
| programme | TIROS |
| previous_mission | TIROS-1 |
| next_mission | TIROS-3 |
| :: |
| name = TIROS-2 | image = TIROS II Spac0116-repair.jpg | image_caption = TIROS-2 before launch | mission_type = Weather satellite | operator = NASA | Harvard_designation = 1960 Pi 1 | SATCAT = 63 | mission_duration = 376 days | spacecraft_type = TIROS | manufacturer = RCA Astro GSFC | launch_mass = 127 kg | launch_date = UTC | launch_rocket = Thor DM-19 Delta | launch_site = Cape Canaveral LC-17A | last_contact = | decay_date = May 2014 | orbit_epoch = December 8, 2013, 11:58:18 UTC | orbit_reference = Geocentric | orbit_regime = Low Earth | orbit_periapsis = 374 km | orbit_apoapsis = 394 km | orbit_inclination = 48.51 degrees | orbit_semimajor = 6755.43 km | orbit_eccentricity = 0.0014596 | orbit_period = 92.09 minutes | apsis = gee | instruments = Widefield Radiometer Scanning Radiometer Television Camera System | programme = TIROS | previous_mission = TIROS-1 | next_mission = TIROS-3
TIROS-2 (or TIROS-B) was a spin-stabilized meteorological satellite. It was the second in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites. It re-entered in May 2014.
Spacecraft
TIROS-2 was an 18-sided right prism, 107 cm in diameter and 56 cm high, with 9,260 1 by 2 cm silicon solar cells covered the top and sides. Five small directly opposed pairs of solid-fuel thrusters maintained a spin of 8 to 12 rpm. For attitude control, the spacecraft used an infrared horizon sensor and a magnetic attitude control device, made of 250 cores of wire wound around the outer surface, which oriented the spin axis to a 1 to 2 degree accuracy. It also had a direction indicator for picture orientation.
The satellite had two independent television camera subsystems, one low-resolution and one high-resolution, for taking pictures of cloud cover. Each camera had a magnetic tape recorder for storing photographs while out of range of the ground station network. It also had a five-channel medium-resolution scanning radiometer and a two channel non-scanning low resolution radiometer for measuring radiation from the earth and atmosphere.
Launch
TIROS-2 was launched on November 23, 1960 at 11:13:03 UTC, by a Thor-Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft functioned nominally until January 22, 1962. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 98 minutes, at an inclination of 48.5°. Its perigee was 609 km and apogee was 742 km.
The spacecraft functioned nominally until January 22, 1961.
Instruments
TIROS 2 added two infrared radiometers to TIROS 1 instruments, which allowed more analysis of frontal zones.
Gallery
File:TOS path and product Spac0063.jpg|Graphic of TIROS-2 orbital path and examples of data products. File:TIROS 2 atop of launch vehicle 2.jpg|TIROS-2 satellite atop of a Delta rocket during a mock countdown on Pad 17A File:TIROS 2 atop of launch vehicle.jpg|TIROS-2 satellite atop of launch vehicle, under hangar roof File:Launch of TIROS II Spac0047-repair.jpg|Launch of TIROS-2 on November 23, 1960 File:1960-11-24 Tiros II Weatherman Satellite.webm|Universal Newsreel about the launching of the TIROS-2 satellite File:TIROS II Ice floes Spac0147-repair.jpg|Ice floes as seen in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence by TIROS-2 in March 1961 File:Map of TIROS II infrared Spac0080-repair.jpg|Map of TIROS II infrared imagery with accompanying cloud analysis
References
References
- "TIROS". NASA.
- "TIROS 2". National Space Science Data Center.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page.
- (December 8, 2013). "TIROS 2 Satellite details 1960-016A NORAD 63". N2YO.
- "TIROS 2".
- Hawkins, R. S.. (October 1, 1964). "Analysis and Interpretation of TIROS II Infrared Radiation Measurements". Journal of Applied Meteorology.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::